Zhang started her journey in early July and took 55 days to complete 3558km of running. Her father accompanied her all the way on a bicycle.

Zhang and her father arriving in Beijing (Image courtesy of Thebeijingnews)

Zhang Huimin (张惠敏), an 8-year-old girl from South China’s Hainan Province is preparing for a south-to-north journey across the country… by running. [Crienglish]

(Image courtesy of Hinews.cn)

Nicknamed “little magic deer”, Zhang has been in spotlight since Jan 2007 when she spent 17 days on an 840-kilometre long run around Hainan Island.

After a kick-off ceremony on July 4, the little runner will take off from Sanya, China’s southernmost city.

She plans to run all the way northwards, through the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Hebei, before finally reaching Beijing. The trip is expected to take 2 months.

The effort came with a price though… as the young kid has to undergo tough training. Many netizens have urged her father, Zhang Jianmin to give up his strict regimen, which they fear would inflict severe pain on the physically immature girl.

[Update Aug 27] Zhang completed her journey.